The Phantom Thief and the Ninjas
by Skyla Talon
Summary: Upon receiving Imperial Orders to catch a notorious thief, the ninja mostly leap feet first in. However Kai is not too keen in helping... when a crime lord that has a history with the mystery thief kidnaps one of them, they learn that the Phantom Thief is the last person they expected. Can you figure it out before they do?
1. Prologue: Know One's History

Prologue: Know Ones History…

 _(Screen flickers to life, showing old Ninjago City.) "Many years ago, before I joined the ninja team, there was a thief…a really good thief. He was known as the Phantom Thief due to the fact no one could catch him." (A small shadowy form darts across the screen, holding a couple of stolen hot dogs. The hot dog vendor gives chase, waving his fist and bellowing.) "No one believed that he would ever stop, however one day he never stole anything…and he hasn't stolen anything ever since then…"_

"Excuse me? Mr. Kai? How come the Phantom Ninja stopped stealing things?" One of the many students sitting in the desks behind the tape recorder raised their hand into the air.

The tall young man that was standing in the front of the room turned to face the student. His auburn hair was done up in long, messy spikes, his hazel eyes glinting slightly. A single scar slashed across the right side of his face, leaving a dent in his right eyebrow. "That is a good question Brad." Crossing his arms, he leaned against the table that the tape player was set up on. "Personally I believe that he felt bad for stealing everything and has quite for good."

"But why did he steal in the first place? Did he turn himself in then?" Brad asked as he stared intently at his history teacher.

Kai bit his bottom lip, the question burning in his eyes. "No he did not turn himself in. I am sure if we ever heard his side of the story that he can explain himself."

Murmurs rippled through the classroom, causing Kai to nibble his bottom lip out of worry. Another student, who was slightly bigger than the others, stood up in his seat. "If he hasn't turned himself in yet then how do we know that he isn't planning something big?"

Kai blinked slowly, surprised about the intelligent question that the young boy asked. "That is…a good point Gene. We don't know if he is planning something big or not. We just have to trust that he isn't." A loud ringing sound filled the building as the school gong was ringed to signal the end of class. The large group of boys shot out of their seats like they were on fire. "Read chapters ten and eleven tonight! There will be a quiz tomorrow!" Kai hollered after his students, his mind still dwelling on their questions about the Phantom Thief.

"…Kai? Kai!"

Kai snapped his head up in surprise, noticing a young man standing in his classroom's doorway. The newcomer had light brown hair neatly combed flat against his head and electric blue eyes that were sparkling with life and laughter. Kai moved to join him. "Something wrong Jay?"

"No…unless you can't the fact I've been calling your name for the past five minutes." Jay folded his arms as he looked at his girlfriend's older brother.

Kai ran his fingers through his hair, making it even messier. "Sorry about that Jay. Just thinking. Today's lesson is on the oh so mysterious Phantom Thief."

Jay wrinkled his nose, annoyance flaring in his eyes. "I wouldn't mind knowing why the governor had to make that a lesson…using only the knowledge that the public knows." Jay paused, tilting his head to the side. "Do you think you can teach them the true story of the Phantom Thief?"

"That'll certainly answer all of their questions…but no. I have to continue on awkwardly giving this lesson." Kai shook his head at him, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "If I tell them the true story and then they talk to someone that was taught what everyone else knows…they might get confused."

Jay nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to respond to that. Only for the school's intercom to crackle to life, a feminine voice bellowing out through it. _"Jayson Jayden Walker! You're students are out of control! Get back to your classroom! Now!"_

Kai winced, even as Jay hurried to the door. "Hey, Jay? What did you actually come in here for?"

Jay paused, glancing back at him. "I was wondering if you could help me with something after work today."

"Sure thing. You better get going. Sis sounded pretty mad there." Kai began to gather up the worksheets that his students had left on their desks.

Jay nodded in thanks, before tearing off towards his own classroom. Kai sighed, before turning to the whiteboard which had in large writing this written on it: **Criminals and Villains that Only the Ninja go after….** **Skullkin** **Serpentine** **Stone Warriors** **the Phantom Thief**. Kai picked up his bright red whiteboard marker and started writing a question underneath the words. **Who is the Phantom Thief and why has he stopped Stealing?** Sitting his marker down, he stared at the board for a minute, knowing he should erase the information underneath the other underlined words. Rubbing his face, he vaguely wondered if maybe if Jay was right. Maybe they shouldn't have promised not to tell a soul…

After all, how many thieves can say that they saved the green ninja's very own life?

 **A/N: Yes I know it is short for a chapter by my measure…but this is a great place to stop. So…who do you all think the Phantom Thief is? And please let me know if you enjoy this little tidbit. The rest of the story will be taking place in the past, and will deal with how the ninjas met the Phantom Thief….and how he apparently saved Lloyd's life.**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	2. Chapter 1: The Unwanted Mission

Chapter One: The Unwanted Mission…

Kai dodged as the large scythe barely missed him, his sword flicking upwards to catch the weapon on the edge of his blade. The owner of the scythe, a slightly shorter, but heavily muscular, teen with short midnight black hair and chocolate brown eyes, scowled at him as he wrenched the scythe away from him. "Don't get cocky Kai! I'm gonna win this time around!"

Kai snorted as he prepared himself for the next attack. "You say that every time Cole…and every time I walk away the winner." Leaping forward, he tried to knock the weapon out of Cole's hands, only for the teen to twist out of the way.

Crashing to the ground, Kai shook his head, before scrambling back to his feet. "Kai? May I recommend that you strategize when going against Cole? He has a solid strategy that he has yet to lose while using it."

Kai rolled his eyes skyward even as he glanced over at the speaker. It was a much taller teen with neatly combed blonde hair and icy blue eyes, playing chess with an elderly man that he looked similar to. "Thanks for the advice Zane! I already have a strategy to pummel him!" As Kai spoke, he leapt forward, suddenly taking Cole of guard and knocking him to the ground.

Cole had barely crashed to the ground when a loud explosion nearly shook the yard. Alarmed, Kai spun around to find Jay and a young teen girl with short crop pitch black hair and ocean blue eyes scrambling away from a smoking heap of metal. "Nya! Are you ok!?" Kai sprinted to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.

" _We're_ fine. Just did a little miscalculation…" Nya brushed him off as she turned her attention back to the heap of metal.

"I'm not too sure that was a _little_ miscalculation there, Nya." A new voice spoke up from the large gate that surrounded the property.

Screams of Lloyd tore from all of the younger generation there, before they all tackled hugged the average height blonde teen with green eyes. A laugh escaped him as he hugged them all back. "It's good to be back. Is Sensei here?"

"No… he had a meeting to go to. How are Misako and Garmadon doing?" Kai took a step back, looking the teen over.

Lloyd shoved his hands into his pockets, a smile crossing his face. "Mom and Dad are doing good, all things considering."

Chuckles escaped the group as Cole patted him on the back. "That's good. What brings you to our new humble adobe?"

Lloyd arched his left eyebrow upwards, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Sensei. He called and said he needed to tell me something in person and to meet him here."

"Well…you beat him here that's for sure." Kai drily announced as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Not quite. You were all so busy with what you're doing that you didn't notice me slipping in." Another elderly man, this one with a long white beard and mustache, a straw hat covering his head, appeared behind the others.

Exclamations of Sensei escaped them as they bowed to the newcomer. Chuckling, he moved to place a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Glad to see that you could make it nephew. The Emperor himself has a _very_ special mission for you six."

Excited squeals escaped the six teens as they followed him back inside of the boarding school that was under reconstruction…and new management. Gathering around the faculty break room, they turned their attention to him.

Cole leaned causally against the wall, his gaze piercing through the others. "So… what's this special job that the Emperor has for us?"

Sensei rubbed his beard thoughtfully, peering curiously at each of them. "As I am sure you have noticed by now…the Phantom Thief has been quiet for awhile now. Close to a year in fact…"

"It's been that long since Kai joined us." Jay interrupted Sensei, nudging Kai playfully in the shoulder.

Kai rolled his eyes at him, before turning his attention back to Sensei, who blinked in surprise about Jay's outburst. "Yes…you are correct about that Jay. Anyways as I was saying, he wants us to find the Phantom Thief and well, make sure they aren't planning anything big. We are then to escort the Phantom Thief to a correctional facility where they will hopefully help them put their thieving days behind them and get them involved again in the civilian life, legally." Sensei paused to look everyone over for their reactions.

Zane and Jay nodded in agreement while Cole grinned at the challenge presented to them. "When do we start?"

Nya shook her head confusion crossing her features. "I'm afraid that I've never heard of this Phantom Thief before."

"I say we leave this for someone else to do." Kai spoke up as he frowned at the others. "I'm not going on a wild goose chase."

Nya rolled her eyes at her brother, before turning to face Sensei once more. "I really mean it when I said that I have never heard of this Phantom Thief. Who is it?"

"That's the thing Nya…no one knows who the Phantom Thief is." Zane scratched the back of his neck as he realized Kai had a point about finding the elusive thief was correct. "Whoever it is, they are extremely slippery. We'll have to be on the top of our game to catch them."

Nya nodded in agreement, even as Jay spoke up. "How come you've never heard of them? Everyone knows about the Phantom Thief. They've robbed from just about everyone…and nowhere is safe from them. They've robbed people from clear out in Jamankai Village and clear into the middle of Ninjago City."

"Wow… they must travel a lot then." Nya widened her eyes in awe at the diversity of the Phantom Thief appeared to have.

Kai scoffed loudly as he pushed himself into a standing position and turned to the door. Calling over his shoulder, he walked out the door. "If you want to go on a wild goose chase, be my guest. I'm not joining you guys this time around. I'll be your backup. Call me if you need assistance with anything that's not chasing down the Phantom Thief."

The door banged shut as Kai left the room. Nya frowned as she watched as her older brother disappeared from view. "How come I never heard of this Phantom Thief but Kai has?"

Jay shrugged, plopping down on the old worn out couch in the room. The couch immediately gave out underneath him, causing him to crash down to the floor. "He could be just pretending that he heard of the Phantom Thief to hide his confusion…also I think we need to add a new couch to the list of to-dos before the start of the new school year."

Laughter rang out as Cole and Nya grabbed Jay by the arms and pulled him back up out of the mess that used to be a couch. "I'll add that to the list of things we need to buy." Zane pulled out the clipboard that they were keeping all of that on and scribbled it down.

 **A/N: Done! Ok, last chapter happened a few days before the third season, this chapter happened a couple of weeks after the second season…there are three years between the two seasons so I am sure that you can figure it out. This is a memory that happened before last chapter. And all chapters following this will be connected to this memory.**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	3. Chapter 2: Shopping for Furniture

Chapter Two: Shopping for the School…should we be concern about their sanity?

Kai glanced at the list of things they needed, then back up at the large furniture store. Zane was next to him humming absentmindedly as he walked up to the large double doors. With a shake of his head, he hurried after his friend, figuring that shopping for the new furniture that they desperately needed was better than going on a wild goose chase. Upon entering the store, he immediately noticed a foosball table on display with a price tag flickering in the brisk breeze that the automatic doors create as they open and close frequently. Moving closer, he examined the sleek table, interest peeked…

"Kai, we are not here to buy a foosball table. We are not to budget that kind of thing in until later in the school year. Right now we are after a few couches, armchairs, and beds. Sensei said to look at the bunk beds that are on sale since it would be easier to house more students with those than regular twin beds." Zane materialized next to Kai suddenly.

Kai jumped in the air, his hand landing on his chest, over his heart. "Zane! You scared me there! And I know that… come on, we better get moving before our fans make it harder for us to get the items we need." Kai moved away from the foosball table, his eyes never really leaving it.

Zane sighed, realizing that the younger teen still had too much teen in him to make much of a good teacher. To think he was now a history teacher for the soon to be Sensei Wu's Academy Boarding School. "Come on, the couches are this way." Zane took off briskly, wanting to get the job done as soon as possible so as to join the hunt for the Phantom Thief…

…..

"…I also would love to have the samurai X's autograph, you _are_ her brother right? So you can, like, totally get it for me!" The overly enthusiastic store employee, who had large buckteeth and braces, and super thick glasses, and with her thick curly brown hair that looks like it has never been tamed before, most likely had yet to realize that the two heroes of her country was turning her out as they discussed exactly how many beds they need per room.

Kai's head snapped up upon picking up her mentioning his sister, but upon realizing that she was just gushing over her now, turned his attention back to his teammate. "Can't we do five students per room? I mean that's what we did during our missions and training. We all shared a room, except for Nya but that was just cause she's a girl."

"I do not recommend letting her hear you say that. We could have had her have roommates if we had other female members on our team." Zane strode, scribbling something down. Kai figured it was just the total number of beds that was and how much it all costs combined.

Kai shook his head at that, knowing that Zane most likely had a built in calculator in his programming. Zane waved a cashier over, who paled before the manager showed up, realized it was two of the famous teens and hurried over with the cashier. "How can we help you?"

Zane handed him the notes he had taken. "We need everything on this list…"

"That is most of the store there…"

"Yes, well we are updating a boarding school and it desperately needs these items." Zane continued as if there was no big problem with that. The manager nodded, before signaling the cashier to call in reinforcements to help them with the order. Just then there was a loud ringing from Zane's back pocket. Zane held a finger up a finger to the manager, as he pulled out his smart phone from his back pocket. Clicking it on, he swiftly answered the phone without looking at who it was. "This is the White Ninja of Ice's number. Zane speaking."

" _Yeah…we have a problem and then we have a code red problem."_ The manager and cashier paled at that, worry creasing their brow.

Kai snagged Zane's arm pulling the phone closer to himself. "What's wrong?"

" _Well, our problem is that we have a drug dealership we need to bust…."_ The civilians were now extremely concerned about what the code red problem could be. _"Our code red problem is that…_ _ **Cole's cooking!**_ _"_ The civilians nearly crashed to the ground with relief that it wasn't that bad, before realizing what order of importance the heroes of their country was placing things in.

"Do you want us to stop by and grab a pizza?" Zane was almost calm about this conversation, though for some reason he was extremely frightened to hear that Cole was cooking.

Kai crossed his arms as he looked down at the phone. "Do you even need our help with the drug dealers?"

" _Nope. Just about got them all in police custody… Cole and Jay is chasing down the last one…no wait, they just got back with him. Ok that little skirmish is done with."_ The manager frowned, concerned that he would call busting a drug dealership a little skirmish…didn't the police label that as one of the more important dangerous jobs they could do?

"We'll pick up three large supreme pizzas on our way home. See you later, kid." Zane made a mental note to remember to pick that up.

" _K… bye guys!"_ The ringtone filled the air as the leader of the ninjas hung his phone up, ending the call.

Zane closed the call, humming to himself as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Come on Kai. We need to go look at the couches before we head back."

The two heroes strolled off, as if that was a perfectly normal conversation. The manager and employee were concerned about the sanity of the people they looked to for protection.

…..

"Thank you so kindly." Zane paid the cashier at the pizza parlor, who appeared to be a big fan if the way he was gawking at him indicated anything.

"You're welcome sir." Kai was pretty that the young man was about to faint from being star-struck twice in one swoop.

Zane handed Kai two of the piping hot boxes, before striding out of the shop calmly. Kai jogged after him, quickly kicking the built-in pizza carrier open on his motorcycle. Dropping the two boxes in, he slammed it shut, glancing over to see that Zane had already dropped his into his built-in pizza carrier and was waiting for Kai as he sat on his motorcycle. "You know… once we become teachers officially we need to trade our bikes in for something more sensible. Like a bus."

"The school comes with a bus. Sensei just needs to take it in to get it worked on." Kai shrugged as he revved up his ride. "Come on. Everyone's probably starving while waiting for something that isn't Cole's Duck Glue."

"I believe he calls it Duck Chowder…" Zane responded as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Kai rolled his eyes skyward as he flicked his blinker on. "I still can't believe that is the only thing he knows how to make apparently."

Zane hummed in agreement as the light turned green, allowing them to move along with the rest of the traffic…though they were tempted to do in the middle of a chase driving so as to get to the boarding school sooner.

 **A/N: Done! Ok nothing about the Phantom Thief…but hey! People are questioning the sanity of the people they call their heroes! By the way by the in the middle of a chase driving, I mean that as weave through the other drivers and break the speed limit. Hey, advantage of being heroes…they don't typically get pulled to the side.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	4. Chapter 3: Friendship Quizzes

Chapter Three: Attack of the Piranhas! Oh, and Friendship Tests…

"Pizza delivery!" Kai yelled as he walked into the rundown cafeteria in the school.

Instant shouts of excitement tore through the air, right before the two errand boys were overwhelmed by the rest of their team. Kai and Zane quickly dropped the boxes on the table, before snagging a pile of paper plates. Sensei reached his arm out and stopped the other elderly man, Zane's father, who is known as Dr. Julian, from getting closer to the boxes. "Wait a minute…"

All six of the teens drifted away from the boxes, chatting casually amongst each other as they sat down to eat the food that was piled high on their plates. Dr. Julian followed Sensei to the table, only to widen his eyes in shock upon noticing that out of the three large pizzas only two skimpy slices were left.

"Hmm, at least they were somewhat considerate. Typically they forget to leave something for me." Sensei grabbed one of the slices.

Dr. Julian wondered what exactly he was getting into as he picked up his slice, nibbling on the still hot pizza slice. "I take it that this is normal?"

"Hmm, with how much energy they burn up every day, especially when they have a mission, it's a miracle that they don't eat more. I've learned to when doing take out to wait for them to fill their plates first." Sensei nodded to the now empty pizza boxes.

Dr. Julian nodded in agreement, amazed on how much his son and his friends could eat in one seating.

"Sweet! There's a new video game coming out guys, we should totally buy it!" Lloyd flipped through a video game magazine.

"Cool." Jay leaned forward, before pointing to something on one of the pages. "There's a test to see how good of a friend you are…I bet we can ace that!"

Cole frowned as he scanned the questions. "Not really. It says here that one of the questions is whether or not your friend as a scar and were they got it. None of us no where Kai got his scar."

Kai instinctively touched the scar on the right side of his face. "Like I'll ever tell you how I got my scar."

"Nya!" Jay whined as he rolled his eyes skyward.

Nya frowned, before lowering her pizza, a frown on her face. "Umm, that is a good question. How did you get your scar, Kai?"

Kai blinked, before taking a large bite out of his pizza. "Sis…you were with me when I got it…don't you remember?" Kai finally swallowed his mouth full of food.

"Nooo… why? What happened?" Nya knitted her eyebrows in confusion and worry.

"Nothing. It was just a…wild animal." Kai shook his head at her.

Zane frowned, sensing that it was in fact not a wild animal. "That is a lie Kai."

Kai glared at the nindroid, grabbing a can of Red Cream Soda. Popping it open, he poured some of the contents down his throat. "It is to true."

Cole pretended that his hands were scales and that he was figuring out how much something weighed. "Believe the dude that can sense when a guy lies…and he can't lie himself, or the guy that is arguing with him." Kai scowled at the ninja of earth as he smirked back at him. "What do you know…we're going with Zane on this one."

Kai threw a random object at him out of annoyance. "Come on…you're supposed to back me up here."

Cole laughed as he ducked the object. "Hey Jay, what's the first question on the quiz?"

Jay leaned forward, and promptly grinned. "Favorite dessert."

"Oh that's easy! Popsicles for Zane, cake for Cole. Jay, you like cotton candy…Lloyd has a weird fascination with chocolate." "It's not weird! You're the weird one who won't even eat the stuff!" "Nya likes strawberry shortcake…and I like…"

"Banana Cream Pie." All the others finished Kai's sentence for him.

Kai rolled his eyes, before gesturing to Jay. "What's next on the list?"

"Umm, dream job?" Lloyd glanced up at the others.

Jay immediately pointed to Zane. "Celebrity chef." He flicked his finger over to Nya. "Mechanic…not inventor." Jay turned to face Cole. "Lumberjack…which is just plain weird." He then turned to face Kai. "I'm actually not too sure about you. Either its being a ninja fulltime or you want to surprise us."

Nya rolled her eyes as she picked her can of pop, Ginger Ale. "He wants to be a country singer. He even knows how to play guitar." "Nya!" She ignored Kai's outbreak, turning to face Jay. "And you want to be a famous inventor."

Lloyd snorted as he sipped at his pop, Root Beer. "Love how none of you guessed what my dream job is."

Kai glanced over to the youngest ninja, a grin crossing his face. "Does professional stunt double for movie actors ring a bell?"

Lloyd choked at that, his eyes widening in horror. "What?! No! I never even told you guys about that!"

All of the friends burst out in laughter at that, doubling over as they sniggered at Lloyd's panic. "Ok ok… next question please!"

"Favorite song? Seriously…that's easy!" Jay rolled his eyes, before all of them spoke in unison. "Weekend Whip!" Jay turned back to the friendship quiz. "Hmm, favorite movie?"

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Does anyone even know each other's favorite movies?"

They glanced at each other, surprise flashing across their features. Lloyd timidly raised a hand. "Do favorite video games count?"

Jay scratched the back of his neck, his face scrunching up in thought. "I have a favorite movie series…but I can't pick a favorite movie out of those if my life depends on it."

Kai waved, a smile dancing on his features. "Skip that one. What's next?"

"It's the scar one…"

"Skip that one…we don't have all day to argue on whether or not it's a wild animal or not."

"Ok… favorite color!"

Everyone burst out laughing at that, most of them glancing down at what they were wearing. Kai arched his eyebrow upwards as he looked at Jay. "Seriously? The majority of us probably have all of Ninjago knowing what they are."

Cole nodded his head in agreement, before speaking up. "They probably think that Nya and I wear our favorite colors all the time too."

"Aren't you two orange and blue?" Lloyd questioned them.

Both of them nodded in confirmation. Kai shifted slightly, glancing back at Sensei and Dr. Julian. He raised his pop in greeting to them before turning his attention back to the questions on the quiz.

 **A/N: Done! Phew… uh, looks like they really know each other really well. Before you ask, I have a weird head cannon that Kai is deadly allergy to chocolate, which is why he called Lloyd's enjoyment of it crazy. Um…yeah.**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	5. Chapter 4: Searching online Part One

Chapter Four: The Phantom Thief is called a phantom for a reason Guys…

Kai wiped the table down, listening to an argument between Zane and Cole escalate about what way to listen to Weekend Whip was the best way. Shaking his head, he tossed his dish cloth into the sink. "Hey Lloyd. You never explained to us how the search for the Phantom Thief turned into bringing drug dealers in."

"Oh!" Lloyd lowered his game controller, a frown wrinkling his forehead. "That. Um, yeah. Long story short…we were following a potential lead for the Phantom Thief and apparently we had the wrong guy. It wasn't Lucifer Whipstar."

Kai arched his eyebrow upwards, surprise flashing in his eyes. "You thought it was Lucifer Whipstar? You do realize his been in jail like twenty different times, all for different reasons…and the Phantom Thief has never been caught and most likely doesn't have a criminal record."

"Oh…right forgot about that." Everyone rubbed the back of their necks, clearly embarrassed.

Kai rolled his eyes skyward, clearly exasperated by their actions. "Come on guys. Use your heads here. There is _some_ known information about him. Use that to locate him."

"How do you know it's a him? Could be a her." Nya grumbled, never liking it when someone presumed someone was a guy due to what they did for a living or their name… that one was very interesting.

Zane shook his head as he pointed to the makeshift ninja headquarters in the staff room at the school. "Back to the drawing board?"

"Definitely."

A minute later everyone was gathered around the not the top of the chart computer that their old HQ had, Kai leaning against the doorway to watch them go over potential Phantom Thieves.

"What about Martin Warrior?" Cole pointed to the portfolio on the screen.

Kai hummed thoughtfully as he tilted his head to the side. "Didn't we arrest him just two weeks ago for forgery?"

Zane frowned as he typed quickly at the keyboard. "Ok…not Mr. Warrior…what about Anna-Bella Rozella Eda?"

"She was just released from jail last week for kidnapping a three year old six years ago." Kai interjected casually.

Cole frowned, glancing over at the others. Nya pointed to another name on the screen. "What about Mei-Mei Tomata? She hasn't been to jail."

"She also has a record for driving tickets. Reason why she's been using the bus lately." Kai drily intoned.

Jay snapped his fingers, as he pointed to another portfolio. "What are the chances it is William King?"

"The…head of the intelligence agency? Yes that makes perfect sense. He's been in jail briefly since he was framed for a crime two years ago." Kai grinned as Lloyd pointed the flaw in that suggestion on who the Phantom Thief is.

"What about Hugo Meats?" Cole was by now grasping at straws.

Kai felt his eyebrow shooting upwards again as he looked over at him. "The hot dog vendor that chased the Phantom Thief after he, or she, stole four hot dogs from him. As well as everything he needed to make the hot dogs?"

"Yeah…I didn't think so either." Cole rubbed the back of his neck as he looked skyward.

Sensei hummed as he tapped his staff against the ground. "A break from this you need. Go play your games and relax before bed. We will go over this again in the morning."

"Yes Sensei."

…

"Die Skeleton!" Kai wiggled his gaming stick, making his avatar swing his sword wildly at the skeleton that just popped up out of nowhere.

Cole wrinkled his nose as maneuvered his avatar over to sneak up behind the skeleton's camp, where the others were being held prisoner. "Kai…you're yelling at a computer generated character in a _video game_."

"Yeah, so?" Kai didn't blink an eye as he continued playing the game.

Jay rolled his eyes as he finally freed his avatar and very quickly destroyed ten of the skeletons. "He always yells at the game when he is playing it."

"I know that…doesn't make it any stranger when he can just talk to us." Cole grumped, as he hacked away at the shackles that were binding Zane's character in place.

"Guys, Sensei says ten more minutes then its lights out."Nya stuck her head into the room, grease covering her old worn out jumpsuit.

"K…see ya later Nya. "K…see ya later, sis."

Nya glanced at what they were playing, before rolling her eyes and leaving.

…..

Kai tossed and turned in his bed, his brow furrowing forward in thought. Not something you would expect to see when he is sleeping soundly. Well, trying to sleep soundly. A loud gasp tore from him as he sat up suddenly, sweat beading his forehead. Flopping back down on his pillow, he glanced over at the alarm clock in the middle of the room. It was only three minutes after midnight. Groaning, he rubbed his face, willing himself to go back to sleep….

"Are you alright Kai?" Zane materialized out of nowhere, worry creasing his brow.

Kai nodded in conformation, as he pushed himself up into a semi-sitting position. "Yeah…fine. Just a nightmare. No biggie."

"Hmm, if you say so. May I ask you a question?"

"You just did Zane. But please, feel free to ask another." Kai smirked, even as Zane rolled his eyes at him.

"Thank you. I will. Why are you so adamant that we shouldn't look for the Phantom Thief?"

Kai froze, a hazy memory wiggling its way forward. Pushing it back to the back of his mind, he drew his knees to his chest. "I'm gonna answer that with another question. What if he doesn't want to be found and your searching for him is aggravating him. He could snap and hurt you once you do find him. It's safer just to leave him be. He isn't causing any trouble…and his memo indicates that he most likely isn't planning something big. Something must have happen and whoever he is, is off the street." Kai felt foolish, like he just rambled on for no reason at all.

Zane nodded in understanding, before slipping back into his bed. "Try and get some sleep Kai. You know how Sensei gets when we are tired for morning practice."

"K…night Zane."

"Night Kai."

 **A/N: Done! Phew. Couple of things, I now have an account on fictionpress. My user name there is Mark Gesei, and I already have my first story up and going…which no one is reviewing despite having two chapters up. William King is one of the characters in my story that is pretty important, just please note that he is a principal and not a head of intelligence. And two… I got pillows for Christmas!**

 **Kidding. That isn't the second thing. The second thing is well, what do you think the memory that Kai was repressing was about?**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	6. Chapter 5: Searching Online Part Two

Chapter Five: Attack of Benjamin Whipstar…

Kai twisted the screwdriver, listening halfheartedly to the conversation going on behind him. Kai rolled his eyes as Lloyd suggested another name for a potential candidate on who the Phantom Thief is. "Hey? Lloyd?"

"Yeah Kai." Lloyd picked up a box full of random objects.

Kai glanced back at him, his eyebrow shooting upwards. "Ya know that, one Skales is a known criminal…and two, he's a serpentine. There's no way he is the Phantom Thief."

"Oh…right." Lloyd turned away, a frown on his face.

Jay threw down his screwdriver that he was using, frustration flashing in his eyes. "Oh come on! Why can't you help us with the mission if you just gonna point out all the times that we're wrong!?"

Kai rolled his eyes, only for Zane to walk in the room. "Kai doesn't want to help with the mission because he believes that something happened in the Phantom Thief's life that moved whoever it is off the street and that whoever it is doesn't want to be found and we're just making things worse by looking for him."

"Zane! I told you all of that out of _confidence_ … as in no telling the others!" Kai whined as he nearly threw his screwdriver down.

Zane sniggered, before snagging another box full of random objects that needed thrown out. "I figured as much, but the others deserve to know that kind of thing."

"He's right!" Cole hollered as he walked past carrying a box full of old rusty and bent kitchenware.

Kai rolled his eyes before going back to work, "Come on Jay. These old worthless light bulbs aren't gonna replace themselves."

Jay sighed, before picking his screwdriver back up and getting back to work. "Man…I never knew that light bulbs could fill up with so much dirt before."

"See? Haven't opened the school up yet and already you're learning something new." Kai teased him back, a grin on his face.

Jay squawked, but couldn't say anything back to him since that was when Sensei came walking past carrying a pile of paperwork of potential students.

…..

"This is impossible! What do you mean it cannot be Sally One-eye?" Nya whined at her older brother as she flung her arms up in the air, arching backwards away from the computer.

Kai rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "You're right that she doesn't have any criminal records…but she is also in a retirement home and if you pay attention to the security footage we have of the Phantom Thief, then you would know that we're looking at someone _young_."

Groans immediately escaped the group as they slumped forward. It was their lunch break, which they were spending looking up potential Phantom Thief identities. Kai eating a sandwich behind them and telling them that they have the wrong person was annoying.

"Ugh…fine then." Lloyd groaned extra loudly, before pulling up another name. "What about Sarah Desert?"

"She was born two years ago… the Phantom Thief as been running wild for longer than that. Too young." Kai pointed out the age issue with that one.

"What about Lou Brookstone?" Jay pulled up the famous singer.

"Dude! That's my dad! And I think I would know if he were the Phantom Thief!" Cole snapped angrily, swatting his best friend on the arm.

Kai squinted at the screen, before shaking his head. "He has the wrong body build. The Phantom Thief is small, and skinny. Almost as if he doesn't get enough to eat."

Nya whipped around and slapped Kai on the arm hard. "Kai! The Phantom Thief could be a girl you know!"

Kai winced, before muttering under his breath. "Pretty sure that the Phantom Thief is a boy…but whatever."

Everyone ignored what it was that he had said as he stretched, before leaving them to their devises. He had other things to worry about than who was the mysterious Phantom Thief…well, to the others mysterious Phantom Thief. There was a reason why he said what he had to Zane the night before….

…

Kai pulled out a handful of weeds, his mind still dwelling on what they've been talking about for the past few days, since Sensei told them about the Emperor wanting them to catch the Phantom Thief. Shaking his head ruefully, he yanked out several weeds extra hard.

"Ok…you must be pretty upset if you're clear out here in the school's grounds near the woods….far from the others. Is it that upsetting that we're looking for the Phantom Thief?" Lloyd materialized out of nowhere, hands in pocket as he looked Kai over.

Kai sighed, before flinging his handful of weeds at his friend. "Well, it is annoying. Can't we leave the past in the past?"

The words had no sooner left Kai's mouth when five people stepped out of the woods next to him. The first four were wearing ski masks and gloves, matching brown eyes glaring at him through the masks' slits. The fifth person was one that even Lloyd recognized. Benjamin Whipstar, Lucifer Whipstar's cousin, was glaring menacingly at them. He had a single scar down the one side of his face, and dark brown almost black hair that hung down his shoulders. A scowl crossed his face, making his already hard blue eyes appear even harder.

He snapped his fingers and before either ninja could do anything; his four minions had seized a hold of Lloyd, slapping vengestone cuffs on his wrists. Kai clenched his fists as he glared at the larger man. "Let him go Whipstar."

Whipstar turned to face him, his gaze hitting that he wasn't going to do anything of the sort just yet. "I have a better idea. You see, the Phantom Thief took something of mine years ago….and I think it's about time he repaid me. Don't you think so?" Kai growled low in his throat, not liking where this was going at all. Whipstar continued, as if he didn't notice Kai's dislike of this whole deal. "Since you know the Phantom Thief and he can't get caught… I want him to steal a certain scroll from Misako Garmadon."

"What?!" "Wait! That's my mom there…hold on…you _know_ who the Phantom Thief is!?"

Whipstar dashed forward, quickly slapping Lloyd across the face. "Silence!" Turning to face Kai, he continued on. "The ninja trust you. You are going to use that trust to get in and take the scroll. And only after you hand the scroll over will I even think about releasing the oh so powerful gold ninja. Am I understood…Smith?"

Kai clenched his hand tightly, his gaze darting over to a highly bewildered Lloyd. Determination flooded him as he turned back to face Whipstar. "Yeah…I understand."

 **A/N: Done! Ok…we're getting into the action pack part of the story. Whipstar is the Phantom Thief's old foe that is now kidnapping Lloyd. Kai apparently knows something about the Phantom Thief called his identity, and if you haven't figured it out yet…well next chapter folks. Hope you enjoy this little cliffhanger!**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	7. Chapter 6: Kai's meltdown

Chapter Six: The Phantom Thief needs help from the ninjas!

Kai leaned forward as his motorcycle surged through the woods, following the road to where Garmadon was building a new monastery. His heart thudded loudly as everything that went _wrong_ with his life flashed through his mind. Starting with, surprisingly, when Whipstar gave him his scar. Pushing the negative thought back to the back of his mind, he skidded his motorcycle to a stop behind a collection of trailers and tents. Turning his bike off, he shoved the key into his back pocket as he slipped into the maze of camping equipment and construction zone. Eventually he stopped upon seeing his target standing next to her husband.

"How can Kai and Lloyd be missing? Surely they just missed them or something." Misako was saying as she frowned, confused about how the two ninjas could have disappeared.

Garmadon shook his head as he shoved his hands into his front pockets. "Well, that is what my brother told me. Apparently Kai's motorcycle is gone too, so they think he went somewhere without telling anyone. No idea about Lloyd though…" Garmadon frowned; worry creasing his brow as he thought about his only child.

Kai cleared his throat, worry creasing his brow as he thought about what he was about to do. Everything was about to change. "Misako? Can I have a word with you in private?"

"Kai!" Misako and Garmadon both jumped into the air as they suddenly realized that one of the ninjas that they were talking about was standing right behind them. Misako took a quick, steadying breath, before nodding. "Of course. The little old silver trailer on the left is being used as my personal office. You can wait for me in there."

"Thank you Misako." Kai felt relief flood him that he didn't have to work really hard into getting her to agree to talk with him. Whipstar was right. They trusted him.

"I'll call my brother and tell him that you are here. He's really worried about you." Garmadon pulled his phone out of his pocket, relief flashing across his face.

"Sorry…it couldn't wait and it's better if I do this in person instead of over the phone." Kai rubbed the back of his neck, silently cursing himself out for forgetting that there were others in his life besides Nya now.

"It's alright Kai. At least you're safe. Do you know where Lloyd is at?" Garmadon paused right before he pushed the talk button on it to call Sensei.

Kai winced visibly, the memory of Whipstar and his men taking the youngest ninja still way too raw. "Yeah...I believe I have a good idea on where he is at." Whipstar typically kept his prisoners in the same hidden room.

"Alright then…" Garmadon frowned, as if noticing that Kai wasn't too pleased with wherever Lloyd was at. "Go wait for Misako in her office."

"Alright." Kai hurried away, quickly locating the trailer that Misako had told him. Pulling the door open he walked inside…and immediately regretted doing so. For right there on top of her desk was the scroll that Whipstar wanted.

Kai glanced behind him to make sure that no one was watching him, before walking over and picking the scroll up. Curiosity flooded him, wondering what was so important about this one scroll… Whipstar hadn't told him, though knowing the crime lord it was something extremely important. Shaking his head ruefully, he sat it back down and went to sit down on one of the old armchairs in the trailer.

The door creaked open as Misako walked into the trailer suddenly, a smile on her face, though her eyes betrayed the fact she was still worried on the whereabouts of her son. Closing the door behind her, she turned to face Kai. "So…what is so important that you don't tell the others that you're coming to talk to me?" Kai felt himself freeze up, his eyes taking in the little similarities between Lloyd and his mother. Tears slid down his cheek, even as he collapsed to the ground. "Kai? What's wrong?" Misako wrapped a supportive arm around the troubled teen. All that did was make the dams really burst.

"I'm sorry! It was just some ibuprofen cause Nya was sick and needed it…" Kai rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. He failed miserably.

"Kai…I don't understand." Misako rubbed his back gently, trying to calm him down.

"I'm the Phantom Thief. Nya got sick one day so I took some ibuprofen from Whipstar so she could get better. Now he has Lloyd and wants me to steal that scroll on your desk in exchange for Lloyd's safety and I don't _want_ to…" Kai hiccupped softly as he sniffled, struggling to keep himself calm.

Misako stilled, her mind reeling. She knew that the Emperor wanted the ninjas to find the Phantom Thief…but how exactly where they supposed to do that if one of them was the Phantom Thief? "Wait…does Nya know this?"

"Miraculously no." Kai took a shuddering breath, wiping frantically at his eyes. "I lost count of how many times someone called me Phantom Thief in front of her, and she doesn't remember that particular incident."

Misako hummed, her mind reeling as she tried to figure out what to do with Kai's problem. "Kai…you need to tell the others…especially Nya."

Kai pulled his knees to his chest, a sigh escaping him. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that."

"I'll call them. You need to get a hold of yourself." Misako hugged him tightly, before standing up and leaving, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

~Back with Cole~

Cole drummed his fingers as he tried to figure out why Kai would leave to talk to Misako without telling any of them. Just then, the wall phone they had installed for the school started ringing, startling Cole. Lifting a hand up, he snagged the phone of the hook, bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?"

" _Cole…its me. Misako."_

"Oh! Hi Misako. What brings you to call us?"

" _The Phantom Thief as revealed himself to me…and needs our help to rescue his little brother."_

"The Phantom Thief has a little brother!?" Cole screeched loudly, causing the others to come running into the room. "Wait…I thought that Kai was the one that arrived to talk to you. Not the Phantom thief."

" _Oh…did I forget to mention that the Phantom Thief apparently is Kai and by little brother I MEAN MY BABY, SO GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"_ Cole pulled the phone away from his ear, alarm flaring across his face.

Once he was sure that she was not yelling at him, he moved it back to his ear. "Why couldn't Kai tell us when Sensei told us that the Emperor wanted us to find the Phantom Thief?" Cole began walking away from the desk, gesturing for the others to get going to the garage. "And don't worry. We'll be there as soon as possible. Without breaking any laws."

" _Thank you Cole. Another thing, apparently Nya doesn't know any of this and uh, Kai is an emotional mess right now so please be careful."_

"On it!" Cole hung up the phone before sprinting out to the garage. "Come on! Lloyd's been kidnapped and Kai is being an emotional mess right now. Oh…and we seriously need to talk to Kai about the Phantom Thief."

"Why not ask the Phantom Thief? I mean, by the sounds of things he's with Misako." Jay questioned as he sprinted after Cole.

"Yeah…that's the part that we need to talk to Kai about. He's the Phantom Thief and Lloyd's been kidnapped and he's an emotional mess. Any other questions…and no, Nya doesn't know anything about this." Cole grabbed the keys to his motorcycle.

Nya jumped onto her motorcycle, her face pensive. "Seeing as I am definitely as shocked as the rest of you, no, I did not know that Kai was the Phantom Thief!"

 **A/N: Done! So yeah…if you guessed Kai, congratulations you guessed correctly! So yeah since we're this far along in the story means that I am almost done with it. Soo, you liked Kai's little meltdown?**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	8. Chapter 7: Calming him down

Chapter Seven: Calming the Phantom Thief down…

When they arrived there, none of them knew what to think about Kai being in absolute tears. After all, he was the strong one next to Cole…

"Please please please stop crying Kai!" Jay wrung his hands nervously as he wondered exactly what it was they were getting into this time around.

Cole glanced at Nya, who shrugged, not sure how to help in this situation. Cole groaned, before glancing over at Zane, who was already hugging Kai.

Zane rubbed Kai's back comfortingly trying to calm the sobs that racked his body. "Kai…you need to calm down. We're gonna get Lloyd back. He's our brother after all."

Kai gulped for air, rubbing at his eyes. "It's all my fault he was taken in the first place! I shouldn't have…"

"Kai! Stop! Honestly, think about it. You clearly regret stealing and you have been saving Ninjago from harm for a year now. That isn't just a mere rehabilitation…that is extreme rehabilitation. No one goes that extreme, and you mean it too." Nya swatted her brother on the shoulder, which seemed to snap him out of it.

Kai rubbed his shoulder where she hit it, glaring at her as he did so. "Gee thanks…and wahtcha mean by all of that anyways?"

"You care about the well fare of others, not just your own. Quick question, how much of the stuff you stole was because Nya needed it?" Zane suddenly asked, realizing that the answer to that answer might explain why he did such a huge u-turn in lifestyles.

Kai shrugged, not really seeing why that was important to know. "All of it. I might remember that I need to eat every now and then, but I was more worried about her. Why?"

"Because, that is why you changed so drastically according to the statistics. In reality you didn't change much. You just found a better outlet to do so without comprehending your morals…" Zane took a step back, his computer for a brain kicking into action as it evaluated the situation.

Kai blinked, having not thought of that at all. Garmadon cleared his throat as he leaned against the trailer's doorway. "So? What made you quite for good?"

"Whatcha mean by that? He's one of us!" Jay spluttered out, glancing over at Cole, who shook his head at him.

Kai stared blankly at the man in front of him, as if he were seeing him for the first time. "How did you know…?"

"Wu told me…after I turned back to good. So, why did you tell him that you were once you got your sister back, and yet you have yet to leave?" Garmadon shrugged, as if it were no deal.

Unfortunately, the others didn't know about that conversation and promptly yelped. Kai closed his eyes, the memory of when he officially decided to quite being the Phantom Thief for good rising to the forefront of his mind.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Kai twisted around, feeling more exhausted now than he ever did. And with the way he lived that was saying something. The dragons weren't quite up to taking them back to Ninjago just yet, so they were spending the night in the Underworld. Sensei was glancing over at him, clearly puzzled about why Kai was still there. Kai tore his attention away from him to where Cole had placed Jay in a headlock, with no intention to let go. Zane was trying to pry him off; though was failing miserably._

 _He had always presumed that his home was out on the streets of Ninjago. That was where he belonged…now though._ _ **He**_ _knew it had nothing to do with the fact he didn't have to worry about what he was going to eat that day. It was something else…something he hadn't felt in years. Since before he became the Phantom Thief. Belonging…Peace… maybe he'll stay a little longer. He could always leave if he over welcomes his welcome._

 _~End Flashback~_

Kai shook his head, glancing up at Garmadon, shrugging. "So? I changed my mind. There ain't a law against that last I checked."

Garmadon sighed, realizing that he most likely wouldn't be getting an answer out of Kai anytime soon. And yet, he knew that his brother was still curious about what made Kai changed his mind.

"Ok! Enough chitchat! We've got a green ninja to save…again." Cole clapped his hands together suddenly and loudly.

Everyone jumped, before glaring at him…for five seconds before Kai randomly burst into hysterical laughter. Nya frowned, not sure what to think about his new mood swings.

…

 **A/N: Done! Yes, I know it is short… but ya know I like where it is ending at here. Kai laughing hysterically about them having to save our favorite green ninja. Oh well.**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**


	9. Chapter 8: Kai is NOT a Traitor!

Chapter Eight: Well…that was a terrible plan!

Kai fidgeted with the scroll carrier, walking down the dim hall to the large beat up door he knew that Whipstar was behind. Two of his men were standing guard and immediately raised their guns to point at him.

Kai raised the scroll carrier up, so as to let them see it. "Hey there… special delivery for one Mr. Whipstar. You know, mystical scroll with untold powers that he wants for whatever reason. In exchange for the green ninja." When the two men didn't move, Kai scowled at them. "He's expecting me idiots. Now move and let me pass; or you will be explaining to him why I wasn't allowed in."

One of the men moved, quickly unclipping his walkie-talkie. "Boss, the red ninja is here and claims you're expecting him."

" _Send him in."_ Whipstar's voice filled the room as it came over the walkie-talkie.

Kai fought back a shiver as the door swung open, and the men lowered their guns. _Here goes nothing…_ Kai walked across the threshold, his eyes darting everywhere as he tried to locate Lloyd. It didn't take long before he spotted the famous ninja tied up in a giant bird cage. A look of horror and betrayal flashed across Lloyd's face as he looked at the scroll carrier.

Whipstar leaned back on his expensive seat with a plush velvet cushion, excitement and intrigue dancing in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to get it this quickly. How did you do it?"

"I told Misako that there was a rumor someone wanted to steal it and asked for it to be moved someplace more secure. Since I brought it to her attention, I got selected to carry it across the country." Kai lied through the skin on his teeth, feeling his heart pound loudly as he held it up for Whipstar to see. "Let Lloyd go."

Whipstar gestured to one of his men, whom yanked Lloyd out of the cage. Kai felt his heart thud as he waited for the man to untie Lloyd, only he never did. Confused, he turned to face Whipstar. "Give me the scroll Smith."

"Kai! No! Don't do it!" Lloyd cried out in vain as Kai handed the scroll carrier to the crime lord.

"Release the kid." Kai kept his voice firm, his heart now thudding so loudly he was surprised that the others hadn't heard it yet.

Whipstar smirked as he unscrewed the lid on the carrier. "Not so fast Smith. I need to double check that you aren't trying to double cross me." Kai bit his tongue to keep himself from swearing when he heard that, his heart just about exploded with horror. The yellowing scroll fell easily out of the tube shaped carrier, and into Whipstar's hands. Carefully unrolling it, he began to scan the page eagerly, only to freeze as he registered what it was he was reading. "Cole's recipe for duck chowder!? This is not the scroll!" He flung the entire thing into the far wall. "Men! Seize him!"

Kai barely registered what he had said, having already braced himself for the impact once he realized that Whipstar was going to read the scroll. He wiggled his way out from the grasps of two of his men, only for Whipstar himself to grab a hold of him.

Whipstar flicked a large dagger out of a hidden sheath, murder gleaming in his eyes. He moved it close to the left side of Kai's face. "Hmm, doesn't this seem familiar? Oh yes…now I remember. This is exactly the same position you were in when I carved your face last time. My men are holding someone dear to you prisoner, and I have a hold of you. Maybe I should add something to your face to go with the scar from last time?"

Before Kai could say anything, Jay barreled into Whipstar, forcing him to drop the dagger and Kai. A maniacal grin was on Jay's face as he whipped his nunchucks around in the air. "Soo, that's what happened to your face!"

Kai merely grunted in response as Zane, Cole, and Nya dropped down from the ceiling to join them. Cole knocked the man holding Lloyd unconscious, while Zane cut the rope away from him.

Nya flicked out her twin daggers, an excited glint in her eyes. "I take it we need to listen to you more often and when you said we should just start with Plan B, you know what you are talking about."

Kai rolled his eyes, concentrating more on checking Lloyd for injuries. Lloyd was just confused as he looked between his friends, confusion flooding his features. Turning slowly to face Kai, he knitted his eyebrows together. "Soo, you didn't betray us to save me?"

"No kid. I didn't do that. It was Misako's idea that we use Cole's recipe for the fake scroll." Kai chuckled as he ruffled his hair.

Lloyd swatted his hand away, relief flooding his eyes now. "Thank you."

Kai fought the urge to hug the kid, turning instead to grasp Jay by the arm. Jay clasped his hand on his forearm, a grin on his face. "I think we did a very good job rehabilitating you, don't you think so?"

Kai reached over with his free arm and whacked him in the back of the head. "Knock it off Jay!"

"Uh? Guys? Whipstar is fleeing the scene?" Zane drew everyone's attention to the fleeing crime lord.

"Not on my watch." Kai released Jay as he tore after him.

The others quickly fell in step behind him, their feet pounding the ground hard, though no sound rose from their falling footsteps.

…..

Kai winced as he gently pressed an ice pack against Lloyd's black eye. "You could have been more careful and not run into that door greenie."

Lloyd shrugged, before wincing at the stabbing pain in his left shoulder. "Thanks Kai."

"No prob. But if I ever hear that some idiot is holding you prisoner… I'm not going to go easy on you. Understood?" Kai growled out as if he were a tough guy. Lloyd rolled his eyes skyward, even as a loud yelp escaped Jay.

"Hold still Jay! I need to cleanse that cut!" Misako rolled her eyes as she tried to dab the alcohol cleanser on the long, nasty cut on Jay's right arm.

"No you don't!" Jay whined as he squirmed away from her.

"Yes I do! It will get infected if I don't!"

Jay opened his mouth to protest again, only for Zane to appear and very quickly squirt some of the alcohol cleanser onto the cut. A screech of shock and pain tore from Jay.

Cole sniggered from where he was testing out his new crutches, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I knew that Whipstar is a nasty fellow, but he really beat us up good before Kai managed to get the drop on him."

Hums of agreement rippled through the heroes of Ninjago, even as Sensei paced past them for the millionth time. "Let me get this straight… I need to tell the Emperor that he was asking us to find and arrest on of our own?"

"No." Kai straightened up as he looked at each of the gathered heroes and ex-villains. "I think I would prefer it if we never speak of this outside of our little group. Is that ok?"

Garmadon coughed; a tiny smile on his face. "Well then, good thing I already told the Emperor that you all are too busy to look for a criminal that you know nothing about and will be dropping the case."

"You did what!?" All of the ninjas, and Samurai X cried out in unison, pure joy flooding them. Lloyd hobbled over to give his father a hug, a huge grin on his face. "Thank you."

"So! Let's get back to getting the school ready!" Sensei clapped his hands together, a smile on his face.

 **A/N: Done! Uh, only have the epilogue left. Sweet. And Jay really should let someone deal with that cut…wait did I remember… yes I did. Someone referred to the argument on how Kai got his scar. Phew. Next chapter will be same time period as the very first chapter…as in a few weeks before season three.**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**

 **P.S. In case you didn't get the memo, Whipstar was arrested for not just a long list of crimes, but for kidnapping the green ninja.**


	10. Epilogue: to prepare for the future!

Epilogue: … To prepare for one's Future!

Kai nearly jumped out of his seat when the bell rang again, once again signaling the end of a class period. Kai frowned as he realized that he had spent his entire free hour going down memory lane and not preparing for his next class. Sighing, he straightened out his desk as he wondered about what Jay had said about teaching the true story behind the Phantom Thief. The classroom door banged open as the stream of students began to flood through the door.

Kai watched them sit down, even as he weighed his options. Technically, it was all up to him on who knew the truth behind the Phantom Thief…whether he liked it or not. The final bell rang, loud and clear, sending the last of the stragglers to hurry into the room. "Alright class. Today's lesson is on the Phantom Thief. Any questions before I start the video?"

A groan escaped the class, even as a single hand shot up into the air. "Mr. Kai? Why do we have to learn about the Phantom Thief when he has never been seen, and he hasn't done anything in _years_? And we don't know anything about him!"

Kai looked from the lesson manual on his desk in front of him, to the board with the required questions, and then some, written on it. Jay's words floated around in his head, almost sounding as if he were mocking the retired red ninja _. I wouldn't mind knowing why the governor had to make that a lesson…using only the knowledge that the public knows. Do you think you can teach them the true story of the Phantom Thief?_ Determination flooded him as he slammed the manual shut, startling his students. "Actually…us ninja know a lot about him. Like where he is as we speak… what he had for breakfast this morning. What he is wearing. Hopes, dreams, dislikes, and likes. His favorite songs…his name. We know a lot more than what the emperor or the rest of the public does on him."

Gasps rippled through the group, even as Kai started the projector. "You see, the story of the Phantom Thief actually begins when a young five year old boy wakes up to find his parents missing…and his baby sister crying with hunger." He turned the video on, watching his young past self steal the food he desperately needed. "He resorted to stealing out of necessity. He needed the food for his younger sister. He never once really thought much of his own needs, reason why he is so skinny in all of these videos." Pausing, Kai took a deep breath as he looked straight at each of his students memorizing their amazed looks. "He always felt guilty about taking the food from others, and sometimes he would steal over the counter medication for when his sister would get sick. But never more than what he needed. About three years ago, that all changed." Kai fought back tears, his thankfulness over this last part, a bit more overwhelming than he would like to think. "He made friends…ones that weren't just friends. They were a family. They provided housing and food that he didn't have to steal for both him and his sister. They also had steady jobs with these friends. Things that should have been his parents' worry that ended up as his own were finally gone." Kai took a deep breath, steadying himself. "And I can tell you right now… everyone knows who he is." Kai's characteristic smirk flashed across his face. "After all, I am a ninja now and we can't seem to avoid the news for some reason." Gasps rippled through the class, before questions flooded forth.

Kai grinned as he turned the projector off, glad that he actually for once listened to Jay. Teaching the true story instead of the theories behind his past, as if they were someone else's felt good. Really really good.

~After School Hours~

"Hey Jay! So what did you want my help with?" Kai walked into the garage, eyeing the sparring bot that Jay was mending at the moment.

Jay noticed what he was looking at, and nervously chuckled. "Uh…not this. You see I was thinking about…well um…do I have your permission to propose to Nya?" Jay blurted out, anxiety flooding him.

Kai quirked his eyebrow upwards, puzzled by why he would ask that kind of question. "Jay…you're like a brother to me. Marrying Nya would make it official. Of course I don't mind if you ask her!" Pausing, he plopped down next to Jay, a huge grin on his face. "So...do you have a ring already?"

Jay gulped, before pulling out a simple ring. It was a simple gold band, with a crystal blue gemstone instead of a diamond. "Is it too much? Or too little? What if she hates it?!"

Kai laughed at that, placing a firm but gentle hand on his back. "Jay, chill. It's you. She'll love it no matter what. So, what was your plan anyways?"

Jay shrugged, looking highly impish. "Well, I might have sent an email to Mr. Borg's office asking for a tour of his building…and I was planning on popping the question right afterwards, in front of the building! I mean… um…yeah. It's not romantic or anything…but still. It's worth it. She's amazing and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Go for it…" Kai slapped him on the back, a grin on his face.

 **A/N: Done! Uh, keep reading if you want a little extra to the story. I will be placing it on the bottom. I really hope you all liked this story!**

 **Review!**

 **SkyTalon**

~After Season Three… but before Season Four. ~

Kai punched the punching bag a smidgen too hard, sending it flying away on fire. Ok, maybe he should tone down the whole elemental power thing. Glancing around the gym, he sighed as he realized that no one he knew that he actually cared about was there. It felt strange, knowing that Zane was gone forever. And that Jay and Nya have broken up…and Jay was fighting with Cole. Their little family was all broken up and he _did not_ know what to do about it! Growling in frustration, he stormed off, slamming the gym's door shut behind him.

Stomping his way down the street, he didn't notice until too late someone else that apparently was in a similar mood as him. It was when he crashed into said person, that he couldn't help but think that maybe he needed to be the big brother for once and see what is going on in his mind.

"Jay?" Kai reached a hand out to pull his fellow ninja back up to his feet.

Jay swatted his hand away, anger dancing in his eyes. "Go away! It's all your fault!"

Kai drew his eyebrows together, confused. "What was all my fault?"

Jay reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring that he had never had the chance to present to Nya. "She left me! You gave me your word that she wouldn't…and then she did!" Jay broke down in tears, allowing the ring to slip from his fingers.

Kai quickly caught it, rolling it around between his fingers. "Jay…keep it. Don't give up on her. Please? She is just really confused about her feelings right now. Besides that, age wise you would have to wait for oh, about two more years before you could even get married. Maybe this was for the best." Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, since Jay broke down even some more. Kai growled as he nearly punched the younger ninja. "Oh! Come on! I'm trying to be all Zane here and help you Jay! Give Nya time! I know she cares a lot about you…why else would she change her favorite color to match yours if she didn't?!"

Jay gasped at that, his eyes widening in surprise. "She did what?!"

Kai sucked in a deep breath, even as he grabbed Jay's hand and pressed the ring into it. "She never liked blue. She always liked maroon. That is why she is always wearing it! Maroon and gold. Then she met you and totally changed her mind about blue. It wasn't an ok color anymore. It was her favorite. It still is her favorite. She will come along Jay. Just be patient."

 **A/N: Done! For real this time. It just occurred to me that with everything that happened in the third season, that Jay's little proposal would have been shoved the back burner…and that was going to cause a whole new level of problems.**

 **SkyTalon**


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